Can C Diff come back after months without it? Help!!

[lenyc333]

Hi all, I had cdiff for about 3 or 4months. I have been about 2 months without it now. I have not taken any antibiotics!! I am being treated now for a back injury. It includes pain meds, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatory medication. I have always gotten constipated with pain meds, and i had been when i started taking them. Then i went back to a more normal bowel. But for the past few days i have had diarrhea. It stops when I take the pain meds, but is pretty bad in the morning. and i am having very mild belly pain.

I am wondering if it can just come back out of the blue like this? I dont know if it is back, but i am very worried. Maybe I just ate something bad?? But i havent eaten anything out of the ordinary for me...same things i eat all the time. or am i freaking out for no reason?? a few days of D never used to freak me out, but now i am just so afraid it will come back again.

if anyone has any info on cdiff coming back without taking antibiotics again, please let me know. thanks!!!

[fire7163]

Yes, in my experience it can come back for no apparent reason other than it was just laying dormant. That being said I would be very suspicous of the drugs that you are taking for your back as offending your stomach. The mix between the pain, muscle relaxers, and anti-spasmatics can be very ugly, and that's from personal experience. After my recent sugery, I too thought that I was relapsing, but it turned out to be the drug cocktail. I hope that's what's causing your problems. Time will tell.

Fire

[marscan]

Hi Leny - sorry to hear about your injury. Have you googled possible side effects of all of the meds you are taking? Wondering if one might just be irritating your gut. One of mine did the same, and I popped a few days of Florastor - and got back on the "oatmeal" in the AM when I took my meds. Who knows if that's what worked, but I did notice a big difference right away. Best of luck to you...

[lenyc333]

Thanks so much for your responses! Yes, the mix of all those medications can cause tummy problems for sure. but, i have been taking them for a few weeks with no problems other than a little constipation here and there. I always had a stomach made of iron! Nothing ever upset my stomach. my doctor said that the meds could cause some stomach upset, but it didnt for the first few weeks. and i have lessened the amount that i am taking over the past week. so why would it upset my stomach now? im just thinking out loud.

so if it is cdiff....it can just come back out of the blue??

[Bobbie]

lenyc333,
Yes, occasionally C. diff. does come back after several months, but it is rare. I'd contact your doc. & ask a culture be done. (See FAQ-
Tests.
Also, some develop IBS after a bout with C.diff. The symptoms are very similar. (See FAQ-IBS & FAQ-Three Day Rule).

Let's hope this isn't C. diff. Could it be just a "stomach bug?" They seem to be more prevelant in the summer.

Do contact your doctor if your symptoms become worse. C. diff. can be a strange disease, & it leaves many of us paranoid - with good reason.

[nsewell]

I fell and beuised my kidney and had to put on hydrocodone and flexoral. I did fine on them but then after about a week started getting sick to my stomach so I stopped. Now im fine. Good idea to cut back a little and see what happens.

[Jan]

I had surgery in February and ended up with c diff once again and was only given pain meds. No antbx. So yes, I guess it does happen to a few of us. It took 4 cultures to prove I wasn't going crazy. You sort of know if you have it again. I was off vanco for 5 months. Please have a culture taken again and again, it will put your mind at ease. Good luck.